A visit to Luxor
By
Zahi Hawass
Although the pyramids in Giza have long since captured my heart, Luxor runs a close second as place of magic and mystery. I went there recently to oversee the site management plan for the Valley of the Kings, in which approximately 62 Pharaohs from the New Kingdom are buried.
This isolated valley on the Theban necropolis is the site of the tomb of Amenhotep III, one of the great kings of Egypt, popularly known as the "Pasha of Ancient Egypt" because he lived in luxury and had at his side a strong and beautiful wife, Queen Ti, one of the most important women in ancient history. The tomb is located near that of Ay, the Egyptian priest who briefly took over the throne of Egypt after the death of King Tutankhamun.
There are many foreign missions involved in excavation and conservation work in the Valley of the Kings. One of the members of these is Sajju Ushimura of Waseda University, who has been working in Egypt for the last 30 years. He is currently involved in the restoration/ conservation of the tomb of Amenhotep III, and he is doing a marvellous job. The tomb's painted walls have suffered greatly from the constant stream of visitors over the years. In fact, all the tombs suffer as a result of a large number of tourists -- the Valley of the Kings is visited by 5,000 people per day, most of whom head for the most well- known tombs, namely those of Tutankhamun, Amenhotep III and Ramses XI.
The tomb of Amenhotep III is in particularly poor condition for several reasons: lack of ventilation, resulting in high internal temperatures; high humidity caused by the breath of tourists; damage caused by visitors touching the painted walls; and finally, the use of flash photography. Further deterioration, however, has been stemmed and the conservationists have managed to preserve the wall paintings.
Upon entering the tomb of Amenhotep III it is interesting to note the damage done by grave robbers. Part of the tomb was destroyed and some of the treasures removed, among which was the head of Amenhotep III, which is currently on display in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
The Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) is planning to request the return of two reliefs detailing the king's physiognomy to enable conservationists to restore the head of the Pharaoh. Although the museum acquired these pieces quite some time ago, their return would constitute a gesture of goodwill on the part of the museum, and would also serve to deepen the already good relations between the two countries. Furthermore, Egypt would be able to illustrate how collaboration with museums around the world can contribute to the conservation of Egyptian monuments.
Another way of protecting the tombs in the royal valley is to open them to the public in rotation; a decision was thus made to close the tombs of Amenhotep III and Nefertari for restoration, and tour guides have also been dissuaded from spending extended periods inside the tombs with tourists. It has also been decided that a committee comprising qualified and talented Egyptologists and artists should be formed to work on an overall site plan for the protection of the valley. Committee members would include Kent Weeks, the American Egyptologist who rediscovered the tomb of the sons of Ramses III, and Mahmoud Mabrouk. Dr Weeks is already working on one of the most important projects -- a plan of each tomb which includes photographs, measurements and other detailed information.
The site management plan will be implemented in two phases. Phase one, which will be completed within six months, is to move the official entrance to the Valley of the Kings about a half a kilometer away from the tombs, and also to build a visitor's centre, cafeteria, post office, telephone service and parking area for visitors. A taf-taf (trolley on rails) will take the visitors to the heart of the valley.
Phase two will be the protection of the tombs. The most important part of this entails the installation of glass panels to protect the paintings; a single person emits an average of 20 grams of water, so visitors to the tomb actually raise the humidity inside, which in turn damages the paintings. We are also planning to install new lighting in the tombs and install measures to protect against flash floods.
After visiting the Valley of the Kings, I went on to the tombs at Sheikh Abdel-Qurna where a surprise lay in store -- a new discovery.
But that is another story.
To be
continued.
